FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com APRIL 25, 2013 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19 Teens charged in apparent mob attack BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO allegedly being kicked in the face multiple [email protected] times. Gonzalez said she suffered bruises to the face and a fractured nose. Authorities have arrested and charged fi ve “You’re not supposed to be afraid walking girls in connection with an apparent mob to a park where you’re supposed to have fun,” attack on two middle school girls. Video of said Kunicki, who grew up in Astoria. the incident went viral after being uploaded She said she has never heard of attacks online. like this. The April 12 incident started when Samatha “No one should be in charge of destroying Gonzalez and friend Christina Campos, both your life,” Kunicki added. “Don’t be afraid to 14, walked through Astoria Park along with speak out.” three others. Campos told Gonzalez she Kunicki reached out to Councilmember feared being attacked after several girls had Peter Vallone, Jr. Vallone also found confronted her at a McDonald’s the day out about video of the violence through before. As the group continued their walk one of his Facebook friends, and immediately home, about 25 people, including high school took the incident to police. boys and girls, approached them and violence “There are so many troubling things about broke out. the incident,” Vallone said. “The kids found “I was just in shock because I was getting time to encourage it and post it online. None hit in all different directions,” Gonzalez of them put any importance in stopping the said. “Not only was I scared, but I had no beating.” one to help me. Everyone was watching and Police are still looking for four other girls recording.” involved in the incident in addition to the The recording of the fi ght shows a group of fi ve suspects already arrested. Vallone is concerned teenage girls pushing and shoving each other. about a lack of police offi cers and park Then one girl is pushed to the ground and offi cials. He feels they could have prevented dragged by the hair while being repeatedly the fi ght. kicked and punched. “We’re doing all we can as a society to try After Gonzalez’s mother, Nina Kunicki, to prevent bullying,” said Vallone. “This is an received a call about the attack, Kunicki ran to example of something much worse than bullying Gonzalez’s aid. Kunicki took her daughter to and when it reaches this level, we are not Elmhurst Hospital, where she was examined. talking about counseling and prevention, we Campos had her eyebrow cut open after are talking about punishment.” Using Lasers in Cataract Surgery By Dr. Barry Drucker During my career as an ophthalmic surgeon, I have seen the wonderful advances in performing cataract surgery go from the use of magnifying glasses for performing large incision surgery which required multiple suture closure and days in the hospital to the present, sutureless outpatient procedure. Patients have asked me for years if this surgery is done by laser. Up until now, the answer was “NO”, because we utilized incisions made under the microscope with a blade followed by ultrasound removal of the cataract. However a paradigm shift has occurred. Now, no blade, laser assisted surgery is available which has increased the efficiency and safety of cataract surgery. In this new procedure, the patient need not be injected for anesthesia. Eye drops are utilized to numb the eye. The operating table is rolled to the laser and in about 5 minutes all incisions are carefully performed by a “Femtosecond Laser”, precisely and consistently. The precision is greater than that of the most skilled surgeon and reproducible such that the need for spectacles is lessened. This same Femtosecond laser can, if so indicated, make certain corneal incisions that will reduce or eliminate astigmatism, if present preoperatively. Finally, another laser can be used to measure or confirm the power of the needed intraocular lens during the operation, after the cataract is removed. This is called “Intraoperative Aberromertry”. It is particularly important if the calculation is difficult before surgery because of an extremely dense cataract or if the patient had undergone Lasik years before. At present very few surgical centers have the machinery for these two new lasers. Certainly in the future, I feel this is the way ophthalmologists will be doing routine cataract surgery. When friends or relatives of mine need cataract surgery, I recommend and prefer doing laser assisted cataract surgery and Laser aberrometry for safety and precision. Dr. Barry L. Drucker Dr.Barry L. Drucker is a board certified ophthalmologist and a Fellow of the American College of Surgery. He has practiced in Bayside, Queens for over 25 years and can be reached at 718 224-5500 Dr. Drucker’s Office is located at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd (Suite 202), Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 11364. I CAN HEAR THE BIRDS AGAIN FREE Educational Seminar on Hearing May 8 • 10:30am–12:30pm Inn at Great Neck 30 Cutter Mill Rd • Great Neck 2013 st Call today to reserve your spaCe! PLLC of the 516.708.4844 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place Breakfast provided and valet parking availaBle Topics of discussion to include: • Enhancing Communication and Listening Skills • Understanding Common Hearing Issues • What to Look for in a Hearing Care Professional • The Truth About How Much Hearing Technology Costs • Demonstration of the Latest Advancements in Hearing Technology 107 Northern Blvd, Ste 309 • Great Neck Gloria Boms, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology gbaudiology.com st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place
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